Found a trick for my anxiety that actually broke a 6 month loop

So I have this thing where I get stuck in a thought loop about messing up at work. Like I'll replay a mistake from last Tuesday over and over until I can't sleep. I tried meditation apps and breathing exercises but nothing stopped the spiral. Then last week my buddy Mark told me to try a rubber band on my wrist and snap it every time I catch myself looping. I thought it was dumb but I was desperate so I tried it. Three days in I noticed I was snapping it less and less because my brain started associating the loop with a little sting. It sounds crazy but after about a week the loops mostly stopped. Has anyone else used a physical trigger to break a mental pattern like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

carr.xena2d ago

Do you think it works because of the sting or more like having a physical thing to focus on? idk, I used something kinda similar once where I'd tap my knee three times whenever I'd start obsessing over something dumb. It didn't stop the thoughts completely but it broke the loop enough that I could actually move on instead of sitting there spiraling.

rivera.jake2d ago

Nah, I actually see it a little different. The sting is more like a jolt to your system, right? It's not really about the pain but more about shocking your brain out of that loop. Tapping or snapping or whatever works too but I feel like it's easier to ignore a tap when you're deep in it. A sting kind of forces you out of your head for a second.